tegu growth (help needed)

[reptastic]

i have been trying to figure out the measurements for my tegus permanent enclosure which led me to ask this question my tegu is now 3 ft long and only 4 1/2 mo. and has slowed down on growth now i know that in the spring they start to pick up their appetite and start having growth spurts(after hibernation) but since my tegu is still woke and eating daily will she start having growth spurts in the spring and since she is already 3 ft. what is the chances that she will past 4 ft. or will she just stop growing once she is near 4 ft. i remember readind about a female b/w tegu that was 4'9" is that normal for a female b/w tegu im just trying to figure out if i should do a 8x4x4 encosure or go bigger thanx guys for your help!

 

[Quijibo]

Jango's is 8' L x 40" W x 30" T. She has plenty of room and seems pretty content in it. Even if she gets over 4', I can't imagine her needing more room. She spends a lot of her time out of her cage, either in her pen or roaming around, but she always seems happy to be back in her cage.

 

[cornking4]

Well said Quijibo.

Zzyzx is exactly where your tegu is at growth-wise (3 ft 4.5 months) and I've got him in a 6'x3'x3' that he'll have for the rest of his life, although I will open up a pen that he can go into anytime he wants to. Our gu's will most likely reach about 4.5 feet at most, as that's what the herp vet said about zzyzx and his current growth rate. But tegus aren't like humans in the sense that they don't stop growing after "tegu puberty". After they've finished their biggest growth spurts, they'll still continue to grow at a slower rate until they die, which can add about 6" to their overall length in their lifetime.

As for enclosure size, as long as your tegu has an all-access pen or gets out of the cage often, I would say nothing more than 6'x3'x3' is necessary, although 8'x4'x4' would be better. They can get to be pretty big lizards that definitely need their space! :-D